Call of the wild
We've seen wildcard entries on several reality shows recently. City folks give their take on the role of these comebacks
Caught in a tight spot, bring a twist by throwing in the wild card. A celebrity participant suddenly decides to put an end to his/her 'on-camera reality'? No issues. Script a controversial exit. The 'real' faces of participants not adding enough glamour week after week? Bring along the star guests every weekend. Less on the drama? Ask the most notorious element in the show to jerk up a few good ones.

Beat bullying
Bullying has become a school scourge. But parents can play a vital role to bail kids out of the mess, say city experts
Hollywood hottie Jessica Alba faced it, so did the hunks Tom Cruise and Pierce Brosnan. Leading model Tyra Banks was a victim too. Bullying, unfortunately, has become a resident evil, with most kids and teens admitting that they are intimidated at school. But the menace, earlier restricted to campuses and playgrounds, has now followed kids into their homes, courtesy the Internet and TV reality shows, which are the staple diet of young viewers who are feeding on anger and are getting encouraged to be curt and mean.

Blues from bonds
A major source of stress comes from our personal relationships, be it marital or otherwise
A relative prominence given a syllable while playing music can make everything go bad. We call it stressing on the wrong syllable. And just is the case with our life. The six-letter word that has come to define our very existence, our every endeavor and our emotion, the relative prominence called stress. No matter how hard we try, everything seems to be too much to handle. We always blame it on the work, the pile of files, data, presentations and deadlines; widely proclaim that our personal lives are suffering due to this stress at work.

Relatively speaking
Strain drain
When too much stress catches up with you, what’s your mantra to stay calm from within?

Dillogical !
Marriage moves…
Remember the universal truth that Jane Austen emphasised in Pride and Prejudice? Mrs Bennet’s desperation turning to derangement and life revolving around marriage and other disasters. Considering marriage, mothers are same everywhere, it is as big a confusion in Kent as it is in Kanpur. But since the world got divided into three i.e. the ones who married for love, the ones who married coz they had to and the ones who married themselves (we mean singletons, don’t get the wrong idea), the truth somehow became more than what we could handle.

Man, I know you
Men have more pronounced personalities than women, according to a new study. Whether it is being loud or quiet, males are more likely to find their defining characteristics early and stick with them.

Fashion feminists
Young women who love to dress up fashionably are not betraying feminist ideals, says a leading head teacher. Jill Berry, president of the Girls’ Schools Association, defended Cambridge undergraduates who posed in their underwear for an online student magazine last month and said that girls can follow fashion without compromising intelligence.

Trend talk
Numero Uno showcases its 2009 Autumn/Winter collection
Numero Uno, the flagship brand of Numero Uno Clothing Ltd, announced the launch of its Autumn/Winter collection 2009 at the Numero Uno Exclusive Store, in Sector 17. To mark the occasion, models showcased a dazzling array of super premium Espania denims, created by using technology, sourced from Jeanologia, Spain.

Style check
The winter season brings in the era of fashion along with the dip in the temperature. Winter’s is all about experimentation with various colours, layering, and most importantly comfortable styling, which is in contrast with summertime minimalism. Koutons with its latest winter collection provides myriad choices for all those men who want to keep it stylish this winters without compromising on the comfort quotient.

Zip zap zoom…
Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. (HMSI), the 100 per cent owned 2-wheeler subsidiary of the Honda Motor Company, Japan –unveiled the New Aviator in the city. With the tagline ‘Live Your Style’, the New Aviator is bound to make the mature Indian males truly ‘live their style’. It comes with a host of new features, which enhance the style and premium element. It is an ideal vehicle for males who seek a premium-class product and have a flair for style.      

A nite to remember…
It was a rich cultural feast for Patialvis at the Karaoke Nite organised by the Patiala Kala Manch at the Mohan Gardens on Monday night. Music lovers could not have asked for more, as even the amateur singers belted out hit numbers from different Hindi Bollywood movies.
A Korean representative of Kortek Electronics being felicitated at the Karaoke Nite in Patiala

Film fest put off
In view of the repetitive warnings and other precautionary steps being taken by the administration, as well as, the schools of tri-city, the grand Finale of Education Sensible International film festival at Tagore Theatre on 19th November 2009 at 6 pm is called off for the time being. We are taking this step in interest of our concern for the health of students, teachers and parents for whom this show was intended in the first place.

Perfect pair

Actor Shabana Azmi and her writer husband Javed Akhtar at the closing night red carpet of MIAAC film festival in Manhattan, New York. PTI Photo

Loo and behold
On World Toilet Day, Domex raises awareness of sanitation and good hygiene practices
DOMEX, one of the world’s leading toilet cleaner brand has partnered with the World Toilet Organisation (WTO), a global non-profit organisation committed to improving toilet and sanitation conditions worldwide. Domex is the first ever sponsor of the World Toilet Day, observed internationally on November 19, every year.

Cause of crack
Amitabh Bachchan causes rift between IFFI organisers
Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan has become the bone of contention between the two organisers of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), with the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) saying that the Directorate of Film Festival did not want to invite Big B.

On call
Big B invites Aamir Khan for Paa premiere
Bollywood mega star Amitabh Bachchan is gearing up for the premiere of his upcoming film Paa and has invited Aamir Khan for the grand event.

Going places
Indian Ocean to compose for Aamir Khan’s next production
Fusion music band ‘Indian Ocean’, who touched a chord with its soulful rendition of Bandeh in director Anurag Kashyap’s Black Friday, is all set to step into Bollywood once again by composing for Aamir Khan’s next venture.

Playing Paa
Role reversal in Paa an opportunity of a lifetime, says Abhishek
Bollywood star son Abhishek Bachchan, who plays father to real life dad Amitabh Bachchan in R Balakrishnan’s upcoming movie Paa feels that it is a lifetime opportunity for him.

Chang’s chance
Indian Idol 3 finalist makes acting debut with Shahid Kapoor
Indian Idol 3 finalist Meiyung Chang from Dhanbad, Jharkhand, is reportedly making his big screen debut alongside Shahid Kapoor. The film, which is actor Parmeet Sethi’s directorial debut, also stars Anushka Sharma and is being produced by Yash Raj Films. Chang, as he’s affectionately known in the industry, has been strictly prohibited from talking about his acting debut.

Role call
Paresh Rawal, Sanjay Dutt team up for Kaizad Gustad’s film
Paresh Rawal says that he will feature in one of the lead roles in Boom director Kaizad Gustad’s next and that it will also star Sanjay Dutt and Naseeruddin Shah. “Yes, in principle I’ve agreed to be in Kaizad’s film with Sanjay and Naseer. I’ve worked with Sanjay before. And it’s always a pleasure to work with Naseer who is my favourite,” Paresh said.